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Have a nice dive!

ThailandTom Saccone17.6995073891626
out of
102013-08-07 05:50:31
SCUBA DIVING IN THAILAND: dive with the whale shark. Divers' Reviews
Thailand is a wonderful country for divers. The southern part of the country is basically a thin strip of land between the Andaman Sea to the west (part of the Indian Ocean ecosystem), and the Gulf of Thailand to the east (part of the Pacific Ocean ecosystem) where you are almost sure to go scuba diving with whale sharks whereas in Phuket, Koh Samui or Koh Phi Phi.
CLIMATE
Diving in Thailand is possible year around, the average daily air temperature is 77 °F to 89.6°F (25°C to 32°C), but the diving season is affected by the southwest and northwest monsoons, rainy season goes from June to October, cool and dry weather from November to February. Between monsoons, March to May, is the hottest time of the year. The best time to dive is from November to March. Water temperatures range from 78°F to 82.4°F (26°C to 28°C) year around.
GULF OF THAILAND, HOME THE WHALE SHARK
The Gulf of Thailand is the place to see the largest fish in the world, the impressive whale sharks. The gulf hosts a dense population of soft and hard corals too and the best time for dives is between May and August.
Koh Samui is a quiet island in the western part of the gulf. It´s Thailand´s second largest island and, together with six smaller islands, it forms the Ang Thong Marine National Park. It includes tourist destinations such as Ko Phangan and Ko Tao. Forty islets provide you with a lot of soft coral; the rare black coral can be observed here. There are 13 different dive sites, with Koh Wao and Hin Yippon leading the visit counter for divers.
Hin Bai (Sail Rock) is the hotspot for whale sharks. You can wall dive and deep dive, it has massive boulders and impressive underwater scenery populated by pelagics, barracudas, moray eels and shrimp.
Koh Samui offers plenty non-diving options, some of the Buddhist temples have not only sacred value, but amazing views and jungles. The pristine and secluded beaches of the national parks are the idyllic.
Ko Tao´s economy is based on tourism, specially diving, it has 17 different dive sites. This is an important breeding ground for hawksbill and green sea turtles. The Southwest Pinnacles stands out in pelagic life and shark population.
There are two wrecks specially recommended for scuba diving:
The Unicorn, around 12 miles off Mango Bay, is a 192 ft. (60 m.) cargo vessel sunk in 1989 that is completely intact.
The Torpedo was a 224 ft. (70 m.) Japanese cargo vessel that sank in the mid ’70s, it stands upright about 180 ft. (55 m.) deep.
Ko Tao was ranked #2 as the island that issued the most diving certificates (after Cairns, Australia) but there´s plenty of nature walks and trails to hike as well as a thriving yoga community.
ANDAMAN SEA, DIVING IN JUNGLE BEAUTIES
On the west coast of Thailand, the Phuket province has access to a lot of the dives sites, including the Phi Phi Islands and the Racha Island. Kaho Lak is the place to stay to explore the northern part of the Andaman Sea and it´s the point of departure for many liveaboards en route to the Similan Islands.
Phuket has dive sites for day trips:
Shark Point, one of the most interesting, has pinnacles with healthy corals, a variety of scorpionfish and moray eels as well as leopard sharks.
Racha Island is another day trip option worth exploring. It has 12 different dive sites and it´s very good for snorkeling too. The Home Run Reef is one of the best rated, although there is some coral bleaching, you can dive to 72 ft. (22 m.), you can see the wreck of the Andaman Explorer and admire the impressive marine life.
Ko Lanta Marine National Park has dive sites suitable for all level divers. Hing Daeng and Hing Muang are the stand outs, these sites are good for drift dives, wall dives and big pelagic. It´s the best place for spotting gray reef sharks too.
The Phi Phi islands are where scenes from the movie The Beach were filmed. They are 45 km east of Phuket and Phi Phi Don is the biggest one, the only one with hotel accommodations. Hin Dot is a good dive site with abundant sea life, yellow-line snappers and sweepers specially. Koh Bida Noc is a really nice dive site with a cave, a wall with sea fans and there good chances to spot sharks.
Similand Islands, in the Similan Marine National Park are nine islands ranked as some of the best dive sites in the world. There are no dive centers here, most of the diving operations are based on Phuket. A liveaboard is a good option to scuba dive the more than 20 dive sites around the islands. Elephant Head is a great site, good for deep dives, caves and sharks. The coral is in very good conditions too.
Christmas Point is northwest of the Koh Bangu Islands, it´s a great site with big drop offs and you may easily spot sharks and large pelagics among the attractive field of sea fans. Strong currents can happen here so you need to check with your operator before diving at this site.
Kaho Lak is a less populated location, with great jungle treks on elephant backs and sea canoeing.
DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN THAILAND
Andaman Scuba / Andy's Scuba Diving / BB Divers / BB Divers Koh Kood / Blue Label Diving / Diva Marine / Eden Divers / Freedom Divers / Hippo Divers / Khao Lak Explorer / In Depht Dive College / KiwiDiver/ Krabi Noi Marine Dive / Lanta Diving Safaris / Master divers / Merlin Divers Phuket / Pattaya Dive Center / Pattaya Safari / Planet Scuba / Poseidon Dive Center / Prapaht Sea Sports Club / Rainbow Divers Vietnam / Real Divers / Santana Diving / Sea & Sun Divers / Shell Diving / Smiling Sea Horses / SunRise Divers Phuket / Thailand Dive & Sail /
DIVING SPECIFICATIONS
Best time to dive
Nov-March
Experience level
All level
Water
80°F/ 27°C
Wetsuit
Up to 3-5 mm
Current
Low to Average
Visibility
Good
Wall
Yes
Drifting
Yes
Canyons
Yes
Caves
Yes
Coral
Some
Wrecks
Some
TRAVEL & PRICES
General Country
Information
Traveling
Capital:
Bangkok
Currency:
Bath (THB)
Language:
Thaï
Visa:
No
Electricity:
220v
GMT:
+7 hours
Flying from
USA / LAUSA / MiamiUSA / NYCCanada / VancouverUK / LondonFrance / ParisItaly / RomaSpain / MadridGermany / FrankfurtSweden / StockholmRussia / MoscowJapan / TokyoChina / BeijingChina / ShanghaiAustralia / MelbourneUAE / DubaïArgentina / Buenos AiresHongKong / HongKongPanama / Panama CityBrazil / Sao PaoloIsrael / Tel AvivSouth Africa / Cape Town
To Bangkok, we estimate a week
in standard hotel+ 10 dives to:
Flight
Hotel
175
10 Dives
400
Other
140
Total
OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
PER MAIN DIVING AREA
Andaman Sea (Phuket, Ko Lanta, Phi Phi Islands, Similan Islands):
Beaches at Ko Lanta National Park
Visit Ko Phi Phi Lee - Maya Bay - snorkeling and beach time
Nature Safaris Kaho Lak on elephant back
ea Canoeing Pang Nga
Southern gulf of Thailand ( Koh Samui, Koh Tao etc.)
Visit the Big Buddha
Angthong National Marine Park (private coves, waterfalls, lakes and white sand beaches)
Secret Buddha Garden
Wat Plai Laem Buddhist temple
Northern gulf of Thailand

SCUBA DIVING IN THAILAND: dive with the whale shark. Divers’ Reviews

Thailand is a wonderful country for divers. The southern part of the country is basically a thin strip of land between the Andaman Sea to the west (part of the Indian Ocean ecosystem), and the Gulf of Thailand to the east (part of the Pacific Ocean ecosystem) where you are almost sure to go scuba diving with whale sharks whereas in Phuket, Koh Samui or Koh Phi Phi.

CLIMATE

Diving in Thailand is possible year around, the average daily air temperature is 77 °F to 89.6°F (25°C to 32°C), but the diving season is affected by the southwest and northwest monsoons, rainy season goes from June to October, cool and dry weather from November to February. Between monsoons, March to May, is the hottest time of the year. The best time to dive is from November to March. Water temperatures range from 78°F to 82.4°F (26°C to 28°C) year around.

GULF OF THAILAND, HOME THE WHALE SHARK

The Gulf of Thailand is the place to see the largest fish in the world, the impressive whale sharks. The gulf hosts a dense population of soft and hard corals too and the best time for dives is between May and August.

Koh Samui is a quiet island in the western part of the gulf. It´s Thailand´s second largest island and, together with six smaller islands, it forms the Ang Thong Marine National Park. It includes tourist destinations such as Ko Phangan and Ko Tao. Forty islets provide you with a lot of soft coral; the rare black coral can be observed here. There are 13 different dive sites, with Koh Wao and Hin Yippon leading the visit counter for divers.

Hin Bai (Sail Rock) is the hotspot for whale sharks. You can wall dive and deep dive, it has massive boulders and impressive underwater scenery populated by pelagics, barracudas, moray eels and shrimp.

Koh Samui offers plenty non-diving options, some of the Buddhist temples have not only sacred value, but amazing views and jungles. The pristine and secluded beaches of the national parks are the idyllic.

Ko Tao´s economy is based on tourism, specially diving, it has 17 different dive sites. This is an important breeding ground for hawksbill and green sea turtles. The Southwest Pinnacles stands out in pelagic life and shark population.

The Unicorn, around 12 miles off Mango Bay, is a 192 ft. (60 m.) cargo vessel sunk in 1989 that is completely intact.

The Torpedo was a 224 ft. (70 m.) Japanese cargo vessel that sank in the mid ’70s, it stands upright about 180 ft. (55 m.) deep.

Ko Tao was ranked #2 as the island that issued the most diving certificates (after Cairns, Australia) but there´s plenty of nature walks and trails to hike as well as a thriving yoga community.

ANDAMAN SEA, DIVING IN JUNGLE BEAUTIES

On the west coast of Thailand, the Phuket province has access to a lot of the dives sites, including the Phi Phi Islands and the Racha Island. Kaho Lak is the place to stay to explore the northern part of the Andaman Sea and it´s the point of departure for many liveaboards en route to the Similan Islands.
Phuket has dive sites for day trips:

Shark Point, one of the most interesting, has pinnacles with healthy corals, a variety of scorpionfish and moray eels as well as leopard sharks.

Racha Island is another day trip option worth exploring. It has 12 different dive sites and it´s very good for snorkeling too. The Home Run Reef is one of the best rated, although there is some coral bleaching, you can dive to 72 ft. (22 m.), you can see the wreck of the Andaman Explorer and admire the impressive marine life.

Ko Lanta Marine National Park has dive sites suitable for all level divers. Hing Daeng and Hing Muang are the stand outs, these sites are good for drift dives, wall dives and big pelagic. It´s the best place for spotting gray reef sharks too.

The Phi Phi islands are where scenes from the movie The Beach were filmed. They are 45 km east of Phuket and Phi Phi Don is the biggest one, the only one with hotel accommodations. Hin Dot is a good dive site with abundant sea life, yellow-line snappers and sweepers specially. Koh Bida Noc is a really nice dive site with a cave, a wall with sea fans and there good chances to spot sharks.

Christmas Point is northwest of the Koh Bangu Islands, it´s a great site with big drop offs and you may easily spot sharks and large pelagics among the attractive field of sea fans. Strong currents can happen here so you need to check with your operator before diving at this site.

Kaho Lak is a less populated location, with great jungle treks on elephant backs and sea canoeing.